Sample Balanced Dog Food Recipe
This is a large batch recipe. Although you are cooking this recipe, all ingredients are listed in raw amounts. This recipe creates a balanced recipe according to AAFCO standards. These are the pet food standards often used in the United States, and your vet may want you to feed a diet that meets these standards.
Ingredients:
- 32 ounces / 2 pounds lean ground beef: 88%-90% lean
- 4 whole eggs
- 8 ounces beef liver*
- 32 ounces / 2 pounds / 4 cups raw mixed vegetables – examples include kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus. These will shrink as they cook.
- 1/4 cup plain quick cook oats – dry amount here, will expand
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon iodized salt
- About 2 3/4 teaspoons Animal Essentials seaweed calcium (this is a chewy.com link)
- 4 scoops Thorne Vet Canine Basic Nutrients powder
- Thorne Vet Super EPA Gel Caps
- Available through me at Thorne Vet
- Available through me at Fullscript with discount
- Not required to achieve balance; an optional ‘extra’ if you are looking to add an omega-3 supplement
- 1-2 gel caps per 25 lbs. of body weight daily
- 2 cups / 16 oz. cold, filtered water or just as needed to prevent sticking
Instructions:
- Rinse meat if desired.
- Rinse vegetables. Discard core, stems. Chop into chunks or bite sized pieces. If you are using frozen vegetables, they should already be trimmed up for you.
- Combine all ingredients in a large skillet or soup pot.
- You can add supplements during cooking to simplify matters.
- On medium, stir frequently and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and vegetables are bright and fork tender.
- Add more water if mixture starts to cook.
- Allow to cool and serve in appropriate amounts according to your dog’s level of adaptation to these foods, nutritional needs and other factors.
Additional notes:
- This recipe contains about 2,700 calories and makes just over 4 1/2 pounds of food.
- If your dog has a history of digestive problems, inflammation or a sensitive belly, please start diet changes gradually. For small dogs, try adding 1 teaspoon per meal for a couple days. For large dogs, try 1 tablespoon per meal for a couple days. If all is good a couple days later, increase by another spoonful and so on. When in doubt, proceed slowly.
- As with all perishable foods, please use this recipe within 3-4 days, or freeze servings and take out as needed.
- * Note on liver – If you don’t want to cook just 8 ounces of beef liver, try getting a larger package. They often come in 16-ounce packages. Cook the whole package in a little water for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Then, chop up, freeze and take out as needed.